German Anti-Aircraft Guns 1939

German anti aircraft guns

An 8.8cm flak gun in a museum (Photo: Rickard Angman)

German anti aircraft guns in the first half of the war were primarily the 8.8cm Flak 18 gun - better known to the British in its anti-tank version the 88mm KwK. This gun could fire 15 rounds per minute up to a height of 25,000 feet when aimed or 39,000 feet if unaimed. The shell exploded at a predetermined height, throwing shrapnel around to damage aircraft close to the blast point. The 8.8cm gun was most effective against high-flying aircraft.

For dealing with low-flying bombers the Germans had the 2cm Flak 30 gun. This could fire 120 rounds per minute to a height of 6,000 feet. It could fire two types of ammunition. The first was an explosive round that would detonate if it hit anything, or after a set time of flight. The second was an incendiary shell that burned continuously as it flew through the air and could set fire to anything it struck. Because the path of these incendiaries could be seen in flight they were dubbed "tracer" by the British. Usually the 2cm Flak fired a mix of ammunition. The gunners used the tracer to see where their shots were going while the exploding shells caused most damage to targets. In 1939 an improved 2cm Flak gun the Flakvierling was introduced with a rate of fire of 220 rounds per minute. By 1942 this was the standard German light anti-aircraft gun in all but the most secondary uses.

The improved Flakvierling.